Pick, Place, Podcast

In this episode we are joined by CircuitHub co-founder Andrew Seddon for a conversation about the origins of CircuitHub and the future of high-mix electronics manufacturing.
Andrew shares how his experience as a design engineer—and his frustrations getting increasingly complex hardware projects manufactured—eventually led to the idea behind CircuitHub. They revisit the company’s early days, including its original shared parts library, the first CircuitHub manufacturing order, and how Andrew and Chris first connected.
The conversation then turns to the challenges of high-mix manufacturing and why seemingly simple ideas, like standardizing component libraries, become much more complicated in the real world. Andrew explains how those lessons ultimately led CircuitHub to rethink the manufacturing process from first principles and develop The Grid, which he describes as a “factory-scale robot” for electronics assembly.
We also discuss the role of automation, the limitations of traditional manufacturing equipment and software, and why keeping manufacturing capabilities close to hardware designers matters for innovation.
In this episode:
A quick recap of the Boston Hardware Meetup and live DFM reviews
The current surge in manufacturing demand
Andrew’s background and the origins of CircuitHub
CircuitHub’s first manufacturing order
The complexity of high-mix, low-volume manufacturing
Why standardized component libraries only get you so far
The evolution and philosophy behind The Grid
Building a “factory-scale robot” from first principles
Automation and the future of local manufacturing
Andrew’s pet peeve: slow walkers
pickplacepodcast.com

Flexible PCBs can solve some incredible mechanical design challenges—but they also introduce a whole new set of manufacturing considerations.
In this episode, we answer a listener's question about flex and rigid-flex circuit assembly, covering what actually changes on the manufacturing floor when a board bends instead of staying rigid. Chris shares lessons learned from developing Worthington and CircuitHub's flex PCB assembly process, including the custom fixtures, dummy boards, baking requirements, and reflow considerations that make these jobs very different from traditional FR-4 assemblies.
If you're designing a flex or rigid-flex PCB—or thinking about it—this episode offers practical advice that can save both time and money before your design reaches manufacturing.
f you're designing flex or rigid-flex PCBs, Chris recommends these Global Electronics Association resources:
IPC-2223: Sectional Design Standard for Flexible/Rigid-Flexible Printed Boards – The primary design standard for flex and rigid-flex PCBs. Covers bend regions, stackups, conductor routing, fabrication drawings, ZIF connectors, dielectric thicknesses, and many other design considerations. Used alongside IPC-2221.
https://shop.electronics.org/ipc-2223/ipc-2223-standard-only
IPC PCB Design for Flex & Rigid-Flex Boards Course – An in-depth instructor-led training course covering flex PCB design, manufacturing, assembly, documentation, and industry best practices.
https://www.electronicsu.org/product/pcb-design-flex-rigid-flex-boards
pickplacepodcast.com

In this episode Chris and Melissa dig into one of Chris’s favorite PCB design topics: pocket masking vs. gang masking on fine-pitch components.
Chris explains why solder mask slivers matter, how PCB design tools can accidentally create manufacturability problems, and what designers can do to help prevent solder bridging during assembly. The discussion covers solder mask expansion, registration tolerances, stencil printing, pick-and-place placement pressure, and why “gloves, not mittens” is the mental model to remember.
The episode also opens with a few updates, including Chris becoming a Certified Electronics Program Manager and CircuitHub announcing a $28 million raise from Plural Ventures.
TL;DR: 
For fine-pitch components, especially 0.5 mm pitch and smaller, pay close attention to your solder mask expansion.
Chris’s rule of thumb:
Start checking at 0.5 mm pitch or smaller
Aim for 10 mil spacing between copper pads, edge-to-edge
Reserve 3 mil for solder mask registration on each side
Preserve a 4 mil solder mask sliver between pads
In metric, that means roughly:0.25 mm copper-to-copper spacing
0.075 mm registration allowance on each side
0.1 mm solder mask sliver

If space is tight, Chris recommends trimming the copper lands slightly rather than sacrificing the solder mask sliver. The sliver is what helps prevent solder from bridging between pads during printing, placement, and reflow.
The short version: protect the solder mask sliver. Gloves, not mittens.
pickplacepodcast.com

In this episode, Chris and Melissa return after a long break with a recap of Chris’s trip to APEX. They discuss customer visits, EMS management meetings, the value of trade shows, and why x-ray inspection is becoming such a big topic in PCB assembly. Chris also talks about AI, reusable checklists, his new Feeder Pugs project, and the time a hotel accidentally drilled into his room. Melissa closes things out with a pet peeve about signs that block traffic visibility.
pickplacepodcast.com

Chris and Melissa welcome Pete Staples, CEO & co-founder of Blue Clover Devices, for a deep dive into how to plan tests, capture evidence, and debug those mysterious boards that look perfect but don’t work. 
Topics include:
Who is Blue Clover Devices & what’s the PLT? 
Bed-of-nails, ICT, flying probe, and PLT
What assemblers really need when a board fails
Production test vs. validation
Updates on the Stick It Up Your Tube movement
Ben the Beaver
Links & resources
Blue Clover Devices — Production Line Tool (PLT).
Blue Clover Devices
PLT Reference Docs (test plans, reports, hardware reference).
docs.pltcloud.com+1
Blue Clover — Design-for-Test (DFT) Guide (request the PDF).
Blue Clover Devices
pickplacepodcast.com